A BUNGLING Government mandarin was ridiculed by MPs and THROWN OUT of parliament today after claiming he DOESN'T KNOW what the Border Force budget is.

A senior Government mandarin said he didn't know how much the UK's borders budget was

Oliver Robbins, Home Office second permanent secretary, was blasted by MPs for sidestepping a series of questions before being kicked out of the hearing after just 20 minutes for giving “unsatisfactory” answers.

Mr Robbins was asked nine times by Keith Vaz, chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee, whether the borders budget had been finalised - but refused to give an answer.

Mr Vaz said: "I'm going to excuse you from this committee because I think your evidence so far has been unsatisfactory."

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The Labour MP had threatened to hold Mr Robbins in contempt and said it was a “very serious matter”.

Mr Vaz also warned he intended to write to Sir Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, to complain about the lack of transparency.

Mr Robbins was told to return to the Home Office and provide the answers by the end of the working day.

The shocking display of incompetence comes amid a growing crisis at our borders, with migrants from Calais making increasingly desperate attempts to smuggle themselves into the UK. It is likely to further undermine the public's faith in our border chiefs, who have been accused of a string of blunders which have allowed thousands of migrants to iollegally enter Britain.

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Chairman Keith Vaz kicked Oliver Robbins out of the Home Affairs Select Committee

I think your evidence so far has been unsatisfactory

Keith Vaz

It comes after Sir Charles Montgomery, the UK Border Force director general who reports to Mr Robbins, previously told the committee he expected to know what the Border Force budget was by the start of the financial year on April 1.

Confronted with that statment, Mr Robbins said it was "not easy to answer it in a simple yes or no".

Andy Burnham, the shadow home secretary, last month accused the Home Office of hiding £88m cuts to the budget amid heightened terror concerns in the wake of the Brussels attacks.

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Mr Robbins was asked nine times whether the borders budget had been finalised

Mr Robbins was also warned by Mr Vaz for failing to fully answer questions about alleged mistakes by the Home Office in the handling of an English test cheating scam.

The red-faced mandarin was then unceremoniously told to pack his bags and return to the Home Office to find out the answers by 6pm.

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The Home Office has been accused of hiding £88m cuts to the budget

A spokesman for Mr Vaz later confirmed the deadline had not been met and the chairman would be asking Mr Robbins to appear before the committee again next week.

Mr Burnham said: "People are left wondering what the Government is trying so desperately to hide.

"This is the worst possible time to be cutting UK border security - the public has a right to know about Theresa May's plans. She must publish these figures without delay."